Ballot-box



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BALLOT BOX.

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(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 17,1891.

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lllniirnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

CALVIN JACKSON, OF JAOKSONWALD, PENNSYLVANIA.

BALL'oi-Box- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,524, dated March 1'7, 1891.

Application led May 28,1890. Serial No. 353,425. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, CALVIN JACKSON, of Jacksonwald, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Ballot-Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient means for balloting in secret, especially for the use of clubs, societies, lodges, &c.

The box includes, primarily, two compartments, one for containing the bulk of the ballots and the other a receiving-compartment for the ballots cast, communication between the two being controlled by a transfer mechanism, which is so constructed and arranged as to transfer the ballots in a single successionfrom the main compartment to the receiving-compartment.

The invention also comprises various details of construction, all as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specication, 1n which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation of a ballot-box embodying my invention, the section being on the irregular line :r or; of Fig. 3..

a like View on the line y y of Fig: 3. 111g. c 1s a plan View partlybroken away and in section. Fig. e is a perspective view of one set of the transfer devices and the box-partitions removed from the box, the bottom of the latter-being indicated by dotted lines. .Fig. 5 is a detail side view illustratingthe position of the transfer-disk when a ballot leaves it to pass to the receiving or recording department. Fig. 6 is a like viewin reverse position, which is its normal position. l Figs. 7 and 8 are side views of thetransfer-disk and the stop employed in connection therewith from the reverse side to that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, Fig.

7 representing the disk in such a position with respect to the stop and escape-aperture for the ballots that a ballot cannot escape f rom the pocket of the disk, nor can one enter the said pocket, and Fig. 8 illustrating the disk in position of having allowed the ballot to escape, in which latter position the ballots are cut off from the escape-aperture, the location of the latter being indicated by a dot- `ted line in both iigures. Fig. 9 is a Vertical sectional elevation of the lower portion of the box in an inverted position. Fig.y 10 is a broken sectional plan view on the line .c z of Fig. 2, the body of the box being omitted; and Figs. 1l, 12, and 13 illustrate a modiiication in which the operating-rod of the disk acts in conjunction with the latter for effecting the transfer of the balls without a separate stop, and which will be hereinafter more particularly referred to. Fig. 14 is a plan view of one of the transfer-disks and its stop.

In the preferred embodiment of my inven tion the main and receiving compartments are arranged in the same vertical plane, and the ballots are in the form of balls, which are brought into such a position by a rotary reciprocating disk as to fall by their own gravity in a single succession into the receiving-coinpartment, the compartments and the operating mechanism being in duplicate. In this preferred construction the box or casing lO, of any preferred size and external form, is provided with a cover ll, secured thereon by screws l2 or by other suitable means, so as to be removed when required for repairing the mechanism, but which cover is practically permanent. The box lO is divided into two upper main compartments 13 13 and two lower receiving-compartments 14 14 in the bottoni of the box or case 10, the said box between cularlybored, as at 10. The vertical partition 15, which separates the two upper coinpartinents 13, is formed with an extension or plug 16, which extends downward into bore l0:VL to n ear the two lower compartments, and, with additional plug 1G, separates the two former compartments from the two latter. 'Ihe plugs 16 and 16 are formed with two vertical ducts or passages 17, which extend from the lower compartment 14 to a point above the bottoms of the upper compartments, each being in communication with one of the latter through a lateral aperture 17, which form the upper ends'of said passages, and each of said passages is also entered from its corresponding main compartment below the apertures 17 by other transverse apertures 17h, through which latter apertures the ballots enter in single succession, as presently explained. The two lower or receiving compartments are the upper and lower compartments being cir- IOO separated by a vertical partition 18, and the bottom or cover 19 ot' said con'ipartineilts is preferably of glass for the ready observance of the balls therein.

ln the bottom oi' each main compartment 1S is fitted a block 20, the upper surface of which curves downwardly and inwardly, in order that the balls will gravitate to the inner side thereof. In the inner side of each block 2O are formed recesses 21, in which recesses the transfer-disks 22 are fitted, the journals 23 of said disks having bearings in the blocks 2O and in the vertical partition 15, and to each disk is connected the lower end of an operaiingrod 24, which rods extend upward, passing through the apertured guideplate 25, secured to the top of partition 15, and to or into apertures 11iL in cover 11, and are provided on their top with push -buttons 211k ln order that the particular button pressed by a voter may not be observed by bystanders the cover 11 is provided with a neck or collar 1] l, which is divided by a vertical partition 110, and in practice the collar will be ot such a height as to make it impossible for a voter to press both buttons simultaneously or by a single insertion of the hand into the collar. A spring 2() on each rod 24- serves to return the same to its normal position. after cach downward movement, the upper ends of the springs bearing against the underside of the plate 25.

Referring' again to the transfer-disks, I will now particularly describe their construction and operation in the preferred form, and as both disks are exactly alike it will sullice to make the description in the singular. The disk 22 is formed at one side with an extension or portion 22L of greater radius than the main portion of the disk. ln the periphery of the disk adjacent to the extension 22 a pocket 22" is termed, the said pocket being of double-curve form, as shown, and extending from the extension 22 to the point 22C, which point has a slight inward curve on its e.\;terior surface also, the end of the pocket adjacent to point 22C being' in the form of or approximating a small semicircle. The bottom of the pocket also inclines or deepens slightly transversely for a short distance, beginning at the point 22", the opposite end of the pocket er end adjacent to extension 22L extending in a direct transverse line and not inclined. The disk is divided or formed with a peripheral groeve 22, which extends through the extension 22, as seen in Figs. 2 and Ll, and partly through the main body of the disk, as indicated in Figs. 5 to 8, and into this peripheral groove 22d projects a stop 27, that is tixedly secured to the vertical part-ition 15 of the box, the operation of the disk in connection with the stop, which will be best understood from Figs. 7 and 8, being as follows: The stop is located opposite the escapeaperture 17D, which leads to duct 17; but the lstop projects only partially across said aperture, and its lower inner corner is concaved, as at 27a. The position of the stop 27 with respect to the pocket of the disk and to the escape-aperture 17*l is such that when the said disk is moved to bring its pocket 221 coincident with the escape-aperture 17b the entrance to the pocket is cut oit by the near approach ofthe point 22 ot the disk tothe said stop, and when the disk is moved sufticiently toallow entrance of a ballot to the pocket 22b the inner face of the disk closes or partially closes the said aperture, so that at no time can a ballot pass uninterruptedly threugh'the pocket and escape at said aperture. In Fig. 7 are shown two ballots A. A, one in the pocket ready to be brought to the escape-aperture and one at the entrance to the pocket. Before the ballot in the pocket can enter the escape-aperture the disk must be moved to the position in which it appears in Fig. 8, or nearly so, and as it is evident that even the slightest movement of the disk toward the stop narrows the entrance to the pccket,no ballot can enter the latter until the return movement ot' the disk, which latter movement closes the escape-aperture.

The ballots pass through the escape-aperture 17b into the duet 17, and from the latter into the lower receivirig-compartment 1-1-, corresponding to the main compartment 1S, from which the ballot was delivered. When the balloting is closed, the box is bodily inverted, whereupon the ballots in the respective reeeivingcompartments may be observed and counted through transparent cover 19.

To prevent the return of the ballots into the vertical passages 17 when the box is inverted, the lower ends of said passages are provided with a double clack-valve or butterfly-valve 2S, one leaf of which is located in each compartment 14, the two leaves being hinged to a pin 2f), passing through the plug 16u. The valve 28 is supported in the closed position when the box is inverted by the tlat end 30 of a rod 30, the said rod extending upward through the partitions and cover of the box to the top of the latter, where it is provided with a button 30h or similar device to enable a person to grasp it with the iingers. The box being in the inverted position, as in Fig. f), upon pulling on the rod 30 the flattened end 30 thereof is drawn downward away from the valve 2S, allowing the latter to fall, as indicated by dotted lines, whereupon the ballots in the compartments 14 14 will pass downward into passages 17 and out through ends 17 thereof into the corresponding compartment 13. A spring 31 on the valve-rod 30 returns it to the normal position upon the button 30IJ being released.

The transverse apertures or upper ends 17n of passages 17 are normally closed by a slide 32, carried by the valve-rod 30 and working in a slit 15 in partition 15, the said slide being bent twice at right angles in opposite directions to lie over each aperture 17a. As the rod 30 is pulled to allow the valve 2S to fall,

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the slide 32 is drawn away from the apertures 17, to be returned thereto upon the release of said rod, whereby the said apertures will be open only when the ballots are being returned to the main compartments.

In the modification of the transfer mechanism illustrated' in Figs. l1, l2, and 13 the transfer-disks 22 are the same as in the other iigures; butin the modification the lower end of the operating-rod 24 is formed with a slight curve and with a slight inwardly-projecting point at the upper end ot' the curve, and the operating-rod is connected to the disk within the peripheral groove 22d thereof.

In operation when the rod 24 is depressed the pocket 22b is brought toward the said rod, while the proj eetion 33 on said rod, by reason of the curved form of the latter, is caused by the descent of the rod to approach the pocket 22b of the disk, the arrangement being such that before the pocket is brought coincident with the apertures 17b the'projection 33 of the operatingrod will cut off the entrance to said pocket in substantially the same manner as is done by the separate stop 27.

It will be seen that with a ballot-box ot my improved construction the ballots may be preserved as cast until the pollis settled and may be counted without removing them from the box, which makes impossible the manipulation of the vote, which is possible where the ballots are removed for counting; also, as the balloting is strictly secret as to the nature of the ballot cast1 members of societies, dac., will by its use be enabled to black-ball objectionable candidates for admission without having their action in so doing paraded. The box may also be employed with advantage in voting on resolutions, the election of ottieers, and for all like purposes.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, ina ballot-box having two compartments, one below the other and communicating with each other, of a rotary reciprocating transfer-disk in the bottom of the upper compartment, and a spring-actuated rod secured to one side of the disk and extending up through the compartment, substantially as described.

The combination, in a ballot-box having an upper and a lower compartment` and ducts establishing communication between the same, of a transfer-disk controlling the transfer of the ballots from the upper to the lower compartment, and a valve in the latter, substantially as described.

The combination, in a ballot-box having an upper and a lower compartment and with a duct or passage in comm unication with both, the said passage being in communication with the upper compartment through two apertures, of a transfer-disk located at one aperture, and means, substantially nas described, for operating the same, a slide at theother aperture, and an operating-rod for sa1d slide, substantially as described.

il. The combination, in a ballot-box having a main and a receiving compartment and a valve in the latter, of a transfer-disk for controlling the escape of the ballots from the main compartment, a stop adjacent tosaid disk, and means, substantially as described, for operating said valve and disk, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a ballot-box having two compartments in communication with each other, ot' a transfer-disk having an eX- tension and provided in its periphery adjacent to the extension with a pocket of semicircular form, the bottom ot the pocket 1nclining transversely at the bottom fora por-v tion of its length, and means for operating the disk, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a ballot-box formed with two main compartments and two receiving-compartinents and with a raised neck or collar having a vertical partition, of a transfer-disk in each main compartment and an operating-rod therefor, the said operatingrods extending, respectively, into the two compartments ot' the neck or collar, substantially as described.

7 The ballot-box provided with duplicate main compartments, duplicate receiving-compartments, and mechanism, substantially as described, for transferring the ballots from the former to the latter, the said latter compartments having a transparent cover, substantially as described.

8; The combination, in a ballot-box provided with a main compartment and a receiving-compartment, of a transfer-disk 22, formed with extension 22a, pocket 22h, point 22C, and peripheral groove 22, and means, substantially as described, for operating said disk.

9. The combination, in a ballot-box provided with upper compartments I3 13 and lower compartments 14 14 and the passages 17 17 and apertures I7a 17h, of transfer-disks 22, operatingrods 24 therefor, valve 28, rod 30, and slide 32, substantially as shown and described.

CALVIN JACKSON.

\Vitnesses:

HOWARD P. WANNER, LESLIE A. STRUBELL.

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